1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, etc., and more particularly, to a method, an apparatus, a computer product program, and a computer readable recording medium for processing stored image data.
2. Discussion of the Background
An image forming apparatus, which stores image information (including text data) and prints it, is commonly known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 11-27492 discloses an image forming apparatus which stores image information input via an image reading unit or a host computer in a memory device. By designating a plurality of files and a printing order, the image forming apparatus processes the designated image data as a series of image groups linked in order of the designation.
As a method for preventing an erroneous copy (i.e., print) in printing a plurality of files in order of setting, a so-called sample printing mode is well-known. In the sample printing mode, whether or not the contents of the files (i.e., image data) are correct is confirmed. In a sample printing mode of a background art, only image data in a first page of each file of a plurality of selected files is output for printing (i.e., a first page printing mode). An outline of contents of each file can be analogically confirmed by this sample printing, which is useful for preventing an erroneous copy (i.e., print).
In recent years, an editing function of a file has been improved with enhancement of functions of an image forming apparatus. A file editing of a plurality of files, such as a deletion of a specific page of a file, an insertion of a file or a page into a specific page, and a merger (i.e., combination) of a plurality of files can be performed. When the above-mentioned various file edits are performed, it is unlikely that a result of the edits can sufficiently be checked by the first page printing mode of the background art.
Therefore, it is necessary for an operator to print all the images of the designated file to check that the file includes the required image data, and to confirm whether or not the file is correctly edited (i.e., the file is edited as required by the operator).